I learned about Will Gilmer and the Gilmer Dairy Farm while working for Cooperative Extension in Wyoming. I immediately was impressed with what Will Gilmer has done in terms of using social media to promote his business. Let me share those observations with you.
If I remember correctly, Will Gilmer said he began the site and his social media efforts as an effort to educate the public about dairy farming.
Will explained that he works out loud. In other words, he will pull out his phone to Tweet, take a picture or video, or otherwise post to his social media feeds as the moment strikes him. He uses the downtime after milking cows and eating breakfast to put together blog posts. While working in a field or sitting in an airport, he may send out a Tweet. He lives and shares in the moment.
Gilmer Dairy Farm Web Site
The hub of all the social media efforts is the Gilmer Dairy Farm Web site. The Web site provides details about the farm, a few photo galleries, frequently asked questions page, and a means to contact the farm. Will is very responsive to questions.
The about page speaks about the history of the farm, their farming philosophy specifically in regards to taking care of the course, and their sustainability efforts.
In addition, the Web site connects to a blog, Facebook page, YouTube channel, Twitter account, Instagram account, and Vine account.
Blog
In the blog, Will talks about what it is to be a dairy farmer in this day in age. I find his posts honest and sincere. He graciously shares the ups and downs of the profession. He also shows how much he cares about what he does and the impact it has on others.
Most posts are only a couple of paragraphs long and often include pictures.
It is interesting to note that 2015 has not been his most prolific blogging year. As he wrote, he is catching up on much-needed sleep.
The Facebook fan page has 4,120 likes and is dedicated to a more daily reflection of what is happening on the farm. There is a lot of imagery, which seems to be appreciated by the fans. It is not unusual to see a post with comments and about 60 likes. Remember, likes translate into the post being seen by your fans’ fans.
Will also posts articles related to dairy farming as a means to help educate the fans.
If you look in the photo albums, you will also note that they hold Milk Mustache contests. They post pictures of the participants. What a great way to show off your product.
YouTube
YouTube houses the video collection that Will has put together. As expected, the videos focus primarily on dairy and is affectionately known as MooTube. The channel has 558 subscribers and has had 190,500 views. The most popular video is called “Water ‘n Poo”…a song about nutrient management and has over 49,000 views.
The MooTube channel also has playlists such as Gilmer Dairy Farms Songs and GDF Vocowbulary Lessons.
Will actively uses Twitter. Presently, he has 9,740 followers and has posted 31,400 times. He posts multiple times a day showing what is happening at various stages. He also uses Twitter to relax and have fun. Right now, he is posting famous #cowtunes.
Will also uses Twitter as a vehicle to share dairy information with followers. While there may be some overlap, he is communicating with approximately 13,000 between Twitter and Facebook. He is now experimenting with Periscope.
Will Gilmer shares his photography purpose quite clearly on his Instagram page.
I’m a dairy farmer from Lamar Co., Alabama. I milk cows, drive tractors, watch the sun rise & set, and share it all with you through pictures.
He does a great job photo documenting what it is to be a dairy farmer. He has captured over 1,100 photos for 2,400 followers. Many of these photos are cross-posted on Twitter, Facebook, his blog, and the Web site.
Vine
Finally, Will uses Vine to capture short videos showing the inner workings of a dairy farm. According to the site, he has captured 45,000 loops for 448 followers.
My Thoughts
After looking at all that he is contributed, I can only conclude that he truly loves what he does. He is proud of what he does and wants to share it with the rest of the world.
Will Gilmer also clearly demonstrates what it is to “work out loud.” He has documented in text, photos, and video the good, bad, and even ugly about dairy farming. He is not hiding anything.
If you are a small business owner, there is a lot to learn from Will Gilmer. Business is about developing relationships. It is about friend-raising before fundraising. Will is achieving this one Tweet at a time.
Do his efforts excite you? Let’s chat, I would like to be part of that excitement.
